You Might Be a Crossdressing Rocketeer If...

From "The Flying Sorcerers" (I think)... by Pournelle and Niven. "shade of purple-gray" from the translators rendition of Asimov. ;^)

Alan Rognlie NAR 71223 Sr WOOSH, NIRA and Washington Aerospace

C'mon, Richard, vaseline works fine, too...

Oh, you meant for o-r> I heard it stated several times here in the past that K-Y Jelly works for

Information overload, Chuck. You just shattered my iconic imagery.

I think I have a migraine...

WLY, B?

Chuck Pierce wrote:

Right now, the V-2 is the biggest (in production) Estes kit out there, it's a re-release of the 70's "Maxi-Brute" V-2, and is designed for D12-3's and E9-4's. A few years back, they made a few "medium" to high-powered rockets under the "North Coast Rocketry" label, but alas that is history.

Estes used to make a black powder E15-4 motor, but it proved to be susceptible to "catos" (i.e. the casing would burst). They now make a reliable E9-4 (and -6 and -8) but there is debate about whether or not this is adequate for the newly re-released V-2.

Truth be told, it IS adequate if you use a long (4 foot or better) launch rod, and fly straight up - and it flys quite nicely, too, if you build light and don't get crazy with heavy coats of primer and lots of bondo to fill the seams.

I haven't witnessed one flown on a D12-3 personally, except my own (original 70's V-2)... but word on the street is that the newer V-2 is a bit heavier than the original, and hence the D12-3 is not recommended.

Aerotech makes a whole line of AP motors (AP = Ammonium Perchlorate) which fit Estes "D" and "E" mounts, and are much more powerful (up to "F"). You can buy & fly up to "G" without any permits or certification. Beyond "G" however, you'll need NAR or TRA certification and possibly a LEUP.

Go to

you should be able to find all the info. you need to get started there, including the most important thing.... a local club!

FIND and GO TO a local club launch, you will learn more there in one afternoon (and have fun while doing it) than a whole year here.

I never had or saw a casing burst, but I saw plenty of the Estes E15's blow the propellant grain out the ejection end of the nozzle. It's neat to watch the fireball eject the nosecone and chunk itself out of the body tube.

Curtis, if you're lurking here, do you remember the one that chunked its guts into the back of your open van? Or was that the P'rfesser's FSI E6 motor??? My memory ain't what it used to be...and it never was too much to start with. ;)

tim

Oops...I ment ejection end of the motor tube, not the nozzle. Doh!

Is the V-2 still in production, or just still in the distribution channels.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

That's a good question - I think there are enough "in the pipeline" i.e. at distributor's warehouses, to qualify the V-2 as a "current" model, although they may not actually be producing new ones at the moment.

Technically, this would make the Saturn V current, too, as there are still plenty available - and this is bigger than the V-2.

I'm sure Estes (as do most companies that aren't producing commodity- class goods) cranks out an occasional "run" of a specific model, and doesn't maintain a constant-output production line, given the modest quantities that are produced. Motors are probably in (nearly) continuous production, though; at least the Wal-Mart trifecta (A8-3's, B6-4's and C6-5's).

That's why you need to video everything you launch. Even when things don't go as planned, it's interesting and educational.

Randy

I use this on my printing press. White lithium grease clings nicely to gear teeth, and is a very efficient lubricant. It hasn't much heat resistance; tends to run off hot parts like oil. However, if the purpose of the grease is merely to allow the parts to slip smoothly into place, and is unimportant afterward, it should work fine.

--P. use things love people